Tag Archives: Reality TV

Now I love Chrissy Teigen just as much as the next girl. No, really, I’m obsessed with her. But new(ish) to the snarky social media scene is my latest obsession: Jessie James Decker.

You may know her from her E! reality show Eric & Jessie, her country music jams, or as the designer behind these super cute bathing suits. But I insist, just because she’s a celebrity, doesn’t mean she’s not a real person! And her social media game goes to prove it…
Here she is voluntarily eating a croissant (celebrities eat carbs?!) with the most unflattering angle. But she DGAF.

She even lets us in on her medical history, with #nofilter and #nomakeup.

She knows the proper way to show love and affection, not to mention her hunky NFL husband. (Tom Brady’s got some competition, sorry.)

There’s no shame in her game while grocery shopping in her PJs. And isn’t shy about posting her cute baby Vivi!

Introducing the newest celebrity reality TV show—Lip Sync Battle. Ever caught Jimmy Fallon’s “lip sync” Tonight Showsegment? Yeah, well this is bound to be that on CRACK seeing as it is hosted by LL Cool J and the beloved queen of social media, Chrissy Teigen.

If you’ve been following her Instagram account, you’ve known that they’ve been in production for a few months, as she’s documented her uh… journey.

A few weeks ago, I got a text from a friend that said: “Bill Nye the science guy is on dancing with the stars?!!?!? Yes please.” I couldn’t agree more.

I don’t watch too much reality TV (haven’t gotten into that Housewife stuff yet – seems like it should be in the horror category), but I admit there are certain trashy shows that are a guilty pleasure; The Bachelor (this one is a given) 19 Kids and Counting (WHY does this show fascinate me?? Is that mom not human?) and of course, Dancing with the Stars.

There is something about seeing your favorite actors, singers, and a plethora of reality stars out of their element and putting it all out there. It’s like a live issue of US Weekly – “Elizabeth Berkley sweats too!” “Even actors fall on their asses!” “You won’t believe what they look like without make-up!” Plus, the dancing is pretty awesome and I sit there wondering if my legs could ever bend like that.

And of course, a reality show today is not enough – there needs to be live Tweeting displayed on-screen, digital voting capabilities, Instagram “behind the scenes” shots, and dancers’ blog posts on People.com that recap the recap of the recap that you just watched (again)…

Elizabeth Berkley of Saved by the Bell fame – one of my past (or maybe current…) fave shows – is a fantastic dancer, and if nothing else, I loved that when she got nervous before her dancing debut it gave me the opportunity to yell to the TV screen “I’M SO EXCITED, I’M SO EXCITED… I’M SO…. SCARED!!!”

I love Snookie and I don’t care what you say. She’s a firecracker in a 4’8” frame, and despite twerking on the dance floor of Karma on the Jersey Shore, girlfriend can seriously dance. I’m sure baby Lorenzo is proud of his mama’s samba.

Bill Nye the Science Guy – the guy that taught us that science rules. To be honest, he is simply not a good dancer, and sometimes a little creepy with his young, hot partner. But I appreciate the effort and the 90s throwback references.

A true front runner, Corbin Blue of High School Musical is freaking amazing and seriously looks like he dances with invisible trampolines on his feet. I’m predicting a winner of the coveted mirror ball trophy right here.

For a wide array of reasons, women (and more men than you would think!) swoon over the ABC goldmine, “The Bachelor.” Although I am a relatively new member to “The Bachelor” cult, in just three seasons I’ve managed to become completely invested in the well-being of the contestants. Yes folks, I am that girl who sighs at the over-the-top romantic scenes, cheers when my favorite hopeful receives a rose and mourns when they do not make it through to the next week. Sure that sounds a little dramatic, but you get the idea.

Last week was the premier of Sean Lowe’s season. Can you say HUNK? Not only is he a blonde hair, blue-eyed Southern gentleman BUT he prides himself on being a family man. SWOON. We watched his heart break into a million pieces last season, but will he find the girl to make his heart whole again this time around? If this past week’s episode is any indication of his ability to choose “the one,” it seems as if Sean will hit a few bumps on the road to marriage. Only time will tell…

Similar to many of the young professionals who watch this show, I hesitate to share this quality about myself for fear of judgment. I often wonder why I even waste two hours a week watching this show. (And yes, it is completely necessary for each episode to be two hours long!) After all, nothing makes the women studies minor in me cringe more than watching 26 women pine for the attention of one man. Perhaps it’s the ability to watch a first date crash and burn from a safe distance. Or maybe it’s the predictability of watching the contestants fall madly and completely in “love.” Either way, loyal viewers can agree on the satisfaction they receive by rooting on their favorite gal.

And with that, I present to you a way to make your Bachelor viewing this season a little less lonely and a whole lot more competitive… a good ole fashioned bracket. A bracket, you say? Yes. Think Fantasy Football style. And Sean even played football in college, how fitting! My roommate and I experimented with the bracket idea this past summer and it was a complete hit with other Bachelor enthusiasts. Follow these rules to make your own!

1. Wait until you’re 3-5 weeks into the show. Use this time to carefully observe the contestants and weigh the pros and cons of those remaining.

2. The bracket should be one-sided, decreasing by one each week. Note: In some episodes, more than one contestant leaves which can complicate your bracket. Choose wisely!

The more friends you have involved, the more fun and competitive the bracket becomes.

I would think that by now America would be sick of reality TV. Haven’t we all heard enough about the Kardashians, Snooki’s baby, and Honey Boo Boo? Maybe not. American audiences have always loved being entertained, and many of us feel there’s a budding talent star inside us. Consequently we’ve fallen in love with reality talent shows like So You Think You Can Dance, The Voice, and American Idol, where contestants reach for their dreams (or get crushed in the process). Unfortunately, as is often the case, entertainment industry producers don’t seem to know when enough is enough and when to say no to knock-offs.

Enter D-Trix Presents: Dance Showdown, the latest addition to the reality show set list. This “innovator” (aka tapped out copy-cat), is the first to be available solely on the YouTube channel DanceOn. For those who don’t know, the competition is essentially a ghetto version of Dancing with the Stars – YouTube stars that is. The show pairs 12 of these “stars” with a number of “superstar” choreographers to dance their way to the top. We, the Internet viewers, are the judges and with the guidance of experts including Joey Fatone from *NSync and choreographer to the stars, Laurieanne Gibson, determine the final winner of the $100,000 prize. I can hardly sit through typical Dancing with the Stars performances with their cast of has-beens and wanna-be’s (yes, Kirstie Alley I’m talking to you), so I’m thinking Dance Showdown’s line-up of YouTube singers, beauty vloggers, comedians and gamers competing for dance glory is going to be pure torture.

As described on the show’s YouTube page: “Twelve dance-challenged YouTube stars pair off with four professional dancers to train, sweat, fail, and ultimately perform in an epic dance battle to win $100,000 CASH.” I’m curious about the credentials of any of these contestants, unless playing Call of Duty teaches you how to do the two-step. I guess beauty vloggers could get points for looking the part, but I’m thinking they might not be able to krump their way through a hip-hop routine.

Since the producers advertise that their contestants are dance-challenged and expect them to fail, it’s clear the “stars” aren’t in it for dance glory, but for exposure and fame. Reality check: just because Bieber made it on YouTube doesn’t mean you will. These hopefuls are just signing up for humiliation, while America looks in and laughs at them making a fool of themselves busting a move. Season 1 ended in May, receiving more than 10 million views (who watches this shit?!), but have no fear! Season 2 started on October 5th. Will you be tuning in?

Gallery Girls is like Girls with more “art” and no sense of humor. I think I might be the only person watching it. Like Girls, it follows the lives of bright-eyed post-college gals trying to make it in NYC with frustrating internships, surprisingly large apartments and larger dreams (and parental support). Unlike Girls, Gallery Girls is a Bravo reality show about a few aloof, well-heeled young women with good vocabularies trying to make it in the vaguely defined “Arts World.”

The compelling thing about Girls is that it’s pretty visceral (too visceral for some people); Gallery Girls is like a boho-chic version of The Hills set at Williamsburg bars and art shows with internships where intern/employer relations might be sexually exploitative, which is terrible. It’s finishing school for the next set of “real” housewives.

Despite the sleek veneer of downtown chic, I think these girls are probably self-interested and frustrated with the current socio-economic situation. I don’t blame them. I was an intern in New York too, way back in 2009. In terms of the economy, that’s like walking ten miles in the snow to get to school!

The show isn’t a big deal and it’s not very good, but it’s a little bit freaky when a reality show feels even a little bit like your own reality. It’s all summed up in a few quotes spoken by girls with dark hair clutching glasses of wine (and I’m paraphrasing here):

The béchamel comment really hit home and I’m not watching anymore; I’ll stick with the fictional girls in Bed-Stuy instead of the real-ish ones in LES gallery spaces. On my friend’s parents’ HBO Go account. On my iPad. Just don’t get near me with that béchamel.

Lochte hasn’t just been making headlines for his goofy style and Olympic prowess, he’s also been taking advantage of his 15 minutes of fame in London with the ladies, defending his mother’s comment on his one-night stands (come on people, the woman didn’t mean it like that) and relieving himself in the pool.

America loves this guy. Women want him, men want to be him, and parents want their kid to marry him. So why not give him a reality show? Lochte’s agent told The Hollywood Reporter that he has had multiple TV offers on the table, as well as offers to develop a fashion line.

Regardless of his rep as “America’s Sexiest Douchebag” and dumb as rocks, if Ryan Lochte gets a show, people are going to watch. There is nothing American reality television loves more than pregnant teens, rich white women with Botox, and douchey, dim-witted hotties.